


ends of the earth

by NalgeneWhore



Series: Elorcan One Shots [89]
Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, F/M, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Making Up, Muses, singer!lorcan & singer!elide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 14:28:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30006309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NalgeneWhore/pseuds/NalgeneWhore
Relationships: Elide Lochan/Lorcan Salvaterre
Series: Elorcan One Shots [89]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1636468
Kudos: 16





	ends of the earth

He’d been called to place five minutes ago, but Lorcan was still in the dressing room, his phone tight in his grasp. 

_ Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.  _

_ “Hey, it’s Elide, leave a message!” _

Gods-damn it. He clenched his jaw as the automated voice told him to speak after the beep, his knee bouncing up and down. Stealing one last glance at the door, like someone would burst through it and drag him away before he could say what he needed to, Lorcan waited anxiously. 

_ Beep. _

“Hey, Lee, it’s me. I, um, I don’t have that long ‘cause I was supposed to be in my place… five minutes ago, but I just wanted to say that…” Lorcan trailed, narrowing his eyes as he tried to order his thoughts. “I’m sorry that I’ve been gone so long.” His knee bounced again, uncontrollably. “I really miss you. Just call me back, please. I love you, sweetheart. Forever.”

With that, Lorcan hung up and shoved his phone into his bag before standing and grabbing his electric guitar from its velvet-lined case. He didn’t let any of the attendants touch it, or anyone else – besides Elide – for that matter. 

He carried it out of the room with him, ducking his head as he moved through the backstage area to the left wing of the stage, where the rest of his band was waiting. Fenrys saw him first and clapped his hands together slowly, drawling, “Well, boys, aren’t we blessed? Our—”

“Can you not? For one fucking day?” Lorcan snapped, not having any of the energy he usually had to deal with his drummer’s mouth. Fenrys’ eyes widened and he all but froze, shocked by Lorcan’s response. The others quieted as well, all looking at Lorcan. He scowled and slipped the strap of his instrument over his head, tersely adjusting it so that it hung low over his hips. 

When his bandmates were all still silent, he looked up, shame flooding through. “Fen, I’m- I’m sorry. It was just… stuff with ‘lide.”

“‘s’ok,” Fenrys said, shrugging. He grinned wildly, “I was being a shit.”

Lorcan nodded once in thanks or acknowledgement of Fenrys’ unsaid forgiveness, he wasn’t sure which it was. He sat down on some ledge, mindlessly tuning his guitar as they waited for the opening band to wrap their set up so that they could play.

Someone sat down next to him. Without looking, Lorcan knew that it was Rowan. The bassist was the most level-headed of them all and the only one with enough emotional maturity to talk to Lorcan about the growing issues between him and his girl. Rowan bumped his shoulder into Lorcan’s. “You, ah… feel like… talking ‘bout it?”

Lorcan snorted and chuckled lowly, “You know, not even a ‘lil bit, Ro.” He lifted his head and rolled his eyes at Rowan’s pointed look. “Hellas below, man, it’s just… we aren’t breaking up.” Neither of them wanted that, that Lorcan knew. “The touring’s a lot for both of us. It’s a lot for all of us,” he added, glancing at the rest of the band, who were all lazing on their behinds. 

Rowan nodded, “Yeah. It is.” His shoulders slumped, straining against his loose cotton shirt, which was only three-quarters of the way buttoned. “You know that if you need to talk, I’m here, right?”

The lead singer just barely managed to stop his second eye-roll and nodded, lips tight. “Mm-hm. I know.”

Luckily, just then, the backstage lights flashed and Lorcan was spared from further needling. Someone came by as their opening band filed off of the stage, looking high off the ecstasy that was performing in front of a live crowd, and handed Lorcan, Rowan, Vaughan, Fenrys, and Connall their earpieces. 

Lorcan fit his in his left ear, as he had a new double conch piercing in the right, and tucked his necklace beneath the collar of his faded t-shirt. It was a simple piece of jewellery, the only one he never took off. The chain was gold and from it dangled a viper pendant, twin to the same piece that hung from Elide’s slim throat. 

Fenrys and Connall were the first to walk on, one to the drumset and the other to the keyboard. They shouted back at the crowd, always ones to rile them up and feed off of the crowd’s energy. 

Next was Vaughan, the backup guitarist, who wore a prideful smirk, his dark eyes scanning seductively over the mass of fans. Lorcan shook his head at his cousin and Rowan strolled out, plucking absentmindedly at his bass. He waved after he found his position behind one of the three microphones. Vaughan was behind the other, playing a riff on his guitar, his fingers sliding up and down the fretboard.

Lorcan waited a moment more, his eyes closed for a fleeting second. When he opened them, he stepped out, the lights immediately blinding and heavy on him. The cheers and screams from the sea of people were deafening, but he was used to it. 

He put on a golden grin, one corner of his lips higher than the other. Elide always liked to kiss him when he was smiling like this, pressing her round and sweet lips against the corner, her fingertips resting on his jawline. 

The smile faltered for a second. The very next, it was as though he’d glitched, pasting that same smile back on. Lorcan lifted one hand to pull the microphone closer to him, “Evening, Varese. How we all doing? Good?” They roared back and he chuckled, nodding his head, “Alright, alright, no need to scream and shout. That’s our job.” Lorcan glanced at the boys one by one, nodding when they nodded at him. 

“Let’s kick it!” Fenrys shouted, tapping his drumsticks together before he launched into song. 

Lorcan heard the music in his earpiece and played his guitar as he began to sing,  _ “You’re simpatico… and of all the lift-homes and all the mixed feelings, you’re cuts above…” _

He knew that the crowd was singing along, but he couldn’t discern the lyrics that ripped from their throats. 

_ “And I’d co-o-o-me… you can leather me with your li-i-i-ips…”  _

Fenrys slammed down against his drums and Lorcan sang roughly into the mic, his eyes closed,  _ “I’ve got to give it to you – you give me problems! When you are not in the mood…” _

One song bled into the next and into the next until they reached the track they hadn’t put on the album. Lorcan had written it days ago, when they’d been flying to the next city. The minute they’d touched down, the whole band was asking their manager to take them to the nearest studio to record and perfect it. 

Unlike their other songs, this one was Lorcan’s only. Only he had written the lyrics, only he had figured out the chords. The boys had just known how badly he needed this, so they’d agreed without question, without hesitation. 

“This next song’s…” Lorcan started, his heart thumping against his ribcage, “about a very, very special girl. My favourite girl in the whole world, really.”  _ And I hope she hears this. _ He looked back at the others and nodded, his lips set in a grim line.

He plucked at his guitar, leaning into the mic,  _ “I got misled, mistook, discard… anything that I said. See, I’m not the type to call you up drunk, but I got some lies to tell.” _

Fenrys joined in gently, as did Connall. Still, it was only Lorcan who sang,  _ “She hates her work, but loves to flirt.” _ When he’d first met Elide, they’d both been working at the same recording studio. People had told him she flirted with everyone, so he hadn’t known that she was even interested until one night she’d taken his face in her hands and kissed him in plain sight of all their coworkers, flipping them off as she did so.  _ “It’s a shame she don’t work with me. _

_ “She gets uptight, don’t like when I’m gone, but she won’t let on to me,” _ he continued, hating the fact that Elide was pulling away from him and hating the fact that he didn’t know how deeply his absence affected her. 

Lorcan stepped back as they played up to the chorus, playing a little harder and letting a little more grunge bleed into the notes. He moved back to the mic, singing louder as the rest of the band started to play,  _ “I said I’m only looking out for you, she said it’s obvious that’s a li-i-ie… I only ever put out for you, you know it’s obvious you don’t try.” _

He didn’t hear the cheers of the crowd, ignored them as they shouted his name and screamed. This wasn’t for them – it was for Elide. All Lorcan could do was play hard enough so that maybe she could hear, never mind that she was an ocean away. 

Lorcan let go of his guitar, letting Vaughan take the lead when he took the mic,  _ “I got mistook and took dissent, and it’s not as if you didn’t no-otice.” _ He leaned forward,  _ “But I try to steer you clear of this place and I wound up with nothing to show for it!” _

He stood up again, pushing his guitar around his back,  _ “You never got that from me. She said you never got that from me, she said you never got that from me…  _

_ “Oh, but I said you got that look from me-e,” _ his throat felt raw. With the speakers behind him, Lorcan could hardly hear himself. As the song built back up to the chorus, Lorcan took his guitar back in hand and strummed aggressively, his head moving back and forth with the beat. 

_ “I said I’m only looking out for you, she said it’s obvious that’s a li-i-ie, I only ever put out for you, you know it’s obvious you don’t try.” _ Lorcan inhaled sharply,  _ “I said I’m only looking out for you, she said it’s obvious that’s a li-i-ie, I only ever put out for you, you know it’s obvious you don’t try!” _

He walked backwards a few paces for his guitar solo, only looking at the ‘E’ carved into his instrument, right where the neck connected to the body. Tears burned his eyes and Lorcan blinked them away, tensing his jaw. 

Then, he pulled the microphone towards him and let go of his instrument. As he sang the last lines, one hand pushed his long hair back,  _ “I got misled, mistook, discard… anything that I said. See, I’m not the type to call you up drunk, but I’ve got some lies to tell…” _

<3<3<3

Elide bit her thumbnail as the phone line droned on. Her hands shook and she paced back and forth in front of their living room window.  _ Pick up. Pick up. Pick up. Please, please, please pick up. _

She’d watched Lorcan’s show through a livestream from somebody in the crowd. It’d been shaky and grainy, the audio blown, but she’d heard the song and more importantly, what Lorcan had said before it.

The line clicked,  _ “Sweetheart?” _

“Hi,” she breathed, her voice airy. Elide cleared her throat, “H-hi. It’s me.”

Lorcan chuckled. He sounded almost… relieved.  _ “I know, I just- I just didn’t… know if you were going to call.” _

Her heart sank slightly and she opened her mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. Elide knew that there was a… there was a rift between them and she hadn’t made it easy for him to fix it.  _ He doesn’t make it easy to love him, either. _ “I watched your show, baby. That new song…” she trailed off, not sure how to force the words out. 

_ “Did… do you not like it?” _ he asked, sounding nervous. 

“No! No, I loved it,” Elide said, sinking onto the windowsill and lifting her foot to rest her heel against the ledge. The hem of her boyfriend’s shirt bunched around the tops of her thighs and she fingered the holes dotting the edge. “It was great, Lor, really.” Elide looked down, her cheeks heating despite the fact that she was alone and he couldn’t see her. “Is it about me?”

_ “Lee… everything I write is about you,” _ he mumbled.  _ “It’s all for you. I- I…”  _ Lorcan exhaled.  _ “Just give me a minute, won’t you? I can move somewhere else and we can FaceTime?” _

She grinned and nodded, “Yeah, I’d like that. I miss seeing your face.”

_ “I miss seeing you too,” _ Lorcan murmured.  _ “Ok, I’ll call you back, alright?” _

“Ok. And I love you too. Always.” 

Lorcan clicked his tongue lightly, teasingly saying,  _ “You’re such a sap.” _

Elide rolled her eyes, “Good-bye.”

He was laughing as he hung up and Elide got to her feet, prancing over to their bedroom. It was late and she knew she most likely fall asleep while talking to him. It had been hard to sleep without him next to her. 

Elide had just settled in when her phone rang again, this time with a FaceTime call from Lorcan. She pressed the green icon and grinned at her screen as the call connected, her boyfriend’s face coming into focus, even if it was a little grainy. “Hi, baby.”

Lorcan’s smile was lopsided, her favourite smile of his.  _ “Hey, sweetheart.” _ He was in his hotel bed, one hand tucked behind him, his head cradled by his tattoo-covered bicep.  _ “How’re ya doing?” _

“I’m ok,” she said, propping her phone against the headboard and cushioning her chin with a fluffy pillow. “I went to the studio today and worked on a new song.”

_ “Really? D’you reckon it’s any good?” _

Elide shrugged, “Not sure yet. It doesn’t have that… it doesn’t have that thing, you know?”

Lorcan nodded,  _ “Yeah, I know.” _

For a moment, neither of them knew what to say, so they didn’t say anything. 

Then, they both opened their mouths to talk at the same time. “I wanted to—”  _ “We should– oh, you- you can go.” _

Elide nodded, trying to summon courage she wasn’t sure that she had. “I’m… I wanted to talk. About you being gone.” Lorcan dipped his chin, his face grave as he encouraged her on. Tears sprung in her eyes and she whispered, “I miss you. Everything, everything comes back to that. I  _ miss _ you. Whenever I’m angry at you, it’s ‘cause you’re not here and I- I just get more and more mad at that.” She wiped her cheeks and looked down at her hands, flicking her eyes to her bitten nails. “I’m biting my nails again.”

_ “You hate biting your nails,” _ Lorcan said softly, his eyes reflecting deep sorrow.  _ “And-” _ he shifted, sitting up.  _ “I know. I know that I’m gone too much. I know that- that I’m never there.” _ He frowned.  _ “I want to come home, sweetheart, I want to be with you, I promise. I’m- I’m so tired of touring.” _ Lorcan rubbed his eyes.  _ “Um… I talked to the boys. We’re… we don’t want to tour anymore. We’re just done.” _

She gasped softly, her vision blurring. In a whisper, Elide told him: “Don’t say that if you don’t m-mean it.” 

_ “Lee, of course I mean that. You really think I would…” _

Elide shrugged, “I feel like I don’t know you, L. You’re... you aren’t Lorcan, you’re,” she did a dramatic hand gesture, “ _ Lorcan Salvaterre,  _ lead heartthrob of the Bloodsworn. And I still think that name is far too reminiscent of teenaged angst.”

He snorted and closed his yawns, rubbing his head against the crinkling crisp pillow.  _ “Yeah… probably right about that one, love.”  _ Lorcan sighed through his nose and slit his eyes open, _ “I know we aren’t finished with this.”  _

She nodded, fiddling with something. “Lor…” her lips trembled. “Your tour is done in a  _ month _ .”

_ “I know,” _ he muttered.  _ “But, we- we can make it. Can’t we? I mean, I’ve already written the sad song where I’m the shit boyfriend, right? We can- we can talk.” _ Lorcan pushed his silky hair back. 

“Yeah. I’m just sad. I… I’m scared that I’ll feel like this again and we’ll never make up again. What happens then?”

Lorcan ran his tongue over his teeth and the muscles in his jaw feathered,  _ “Lee, I… do you want to break up? Is that what you want?” _

The words hit her like a blow and Elide physically recoiled, “No, of  _ course _ that’s not what I want!” She made a helpless motion with her hands, “But what if that’s not enough? What if the fact that we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together isn’t enough?” Her throat was tight, so she swallowed past it, “I… I’m scared.”

_ “So am I,” _ Lorcan said.  _ “We want the same things, I just… I think that’s enough. Can’t that be enough?” _

She shrugged and looked down at her lap, picking at the pillow case. “Maybe it is. I guess- well, not  _ guess _ , but… maybe that’s all that matters, right?”

_ “Right,” _ he nodded, the ghost of a smile flitting across his lips. Elide smiled back at him, her heart fluttering. 

They spoke for a while more until their voices became drowsy and heavy with slumber. Elide pulled the duvet over her and snuggled her cheek against the pillow that smelled most like his cologne. Her eyes slipped shut and she struggled to open them again, only for them to fall shut again. 

Lorcan laughed softly,  _ “Sweetheart, go to sleep. You’re falling asleep.” _

She sighed softly and hummed, “No, ‘m not. ‘m just… resting, baby.”

_ “Oh, is that what you’re doing, hmm?” _ he teased, his smile easy and warm. 

Elide nodded, “Yeah…” She pursed her lips and exhaled a puff of air, pulling the duvet up tighter. “Mmm… g’night, Salvaterre.”

_ “Sweet dreams, Lochan.” _

Mere seconds later, Elide fell asleep. When she woke up in the middle of the night, her phone was still in her hand and she smiled at the screen, where the call was still happening and she could see her boyfriend sleeping like the dead. She took a screenshot and texted it to him. 

_ sweetheart: Sent One (1) Photo Attachment  _

_ sweetheart: ur kinda cute or whatever. i think im kinda in luv with u.  _

Then, she fell asleep once more, waking up in the morning to a screenshot he’d sent of her. 

_ salvaterre: Sent One (1) Photo Attachment _

_ salvaterre: i know im completely in love with you _

<3<3<3

“Lorcan!” called their manager’s assistant, Luca, as he held Lorcan’s phone up. “Someone’s calling you!”

Their rehearsal, if it could even be called that, paused. Fenrys was working on his drum tricks, but Lorcan wasn’t sure that him attempting to play while Vaughan and Connall threw extra drumsticks at his set could be considered  _ working _ . 

Lorcan nodded and put his guitar down, loping across the room. When he was close enough, he saw that it was Elide and reached out, “Thanks, man.” Luca nodded, his curls bouncing. Lorcan picked up the call and ducked out of the rehearsal room, lifting his phone to his ear, “Hey, you.”

_ “Hi,” _ she replied.  _ “I just wanted to check in. Luca told me you guys were rehearsing.” _

He snorted and walked down the dark hallway, “Rehearsing’s a bit generous, Lee. Ro is hungover and Vee and Connall are throwing drumsticks at Fen.”

A bright laugh bubbled from her lips.  _ “Gods, I don’t know why I believed Luca. That boy is too kind.” _

“He really is, I don’t know why he wants to work for us bastards.”

Elide hummed,  _ “Yeah, I don’t know either. You guys aren’t that nice.” _

Lorcan found a forgotten corner and sat down, his long legs splayed out before him. “We really aren’t.” He looked at his worn Chuck Taylors, the laces frayed. “How’re you?”

_ “Well… I’m good. I, um, I booked a gig.” _

“You did? Lee, that’s amazing,” he said, sitting up straighter. “When’d you book it?”

She hesitated to answer,  _ “...three weeks ago. I… I don’t know why I didn’t tell you but… yeah.” _

Lorcan shook his head, “No, no, it’s fine. Are you excited? You haven’t played anywhere in a… long time, love.” When his band had started playing, Elide had played too, appearing in local bars and a few festivals. Then she’d stopped. She still wrote songs and recorded them, but nothing was released. 

_ “Yeah, I know. I’m feeling good. I’m excited,” _ Elide told him.  _ “Really, I am.” _

“But…” 

There was something she wasn’t saying. 

Her swallow was audible and her voice was quiet when she spoke again,  _ “It’s- it’s next week. And I want you to come, but you can’t. I know that.” _

His heart stutterd to a stop. Lorcan opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “I- um, I’m- I’m sorry. That I won’t be there. I wish I could be.”

She laughed, but the sound was forced,  _ “Lor, I don’t want your apology. You’ve already apologised and… it’s just something that is. The facts are that I have a gig, I want you to be there to see, but you’re on tour. And this- it’s your dream, isn’t it?” _

_ You’re my dream, _ he thought. Lorcan flicked his eyes upwards, lying through his teeth, “Yeah. Yeah, this… this is my dream. I’m touring the world and sharing my music with everyone. I never thought I’d be here.”  _ And you were supposed to be right here with me.  _

_ “Exactly, so, I’ll play more gigs. You’ll see them. It’s not like this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you know,” _ Elide joked.  _ “You- you don’t have to worry about this _ one _ show, Lor.” _

“Yeah…” he said, frowning slightly. Lorcan inhaled, “Listen, I’ve got to go back to rehearsal, but I’ll call you after?”

_ “Oh, yeah, ‘course. Talk to you later, then.” _

“I love you, always.”

_ “And I love you, forever. Bye, baby.” _ Elide hung up and Lorcan slowly got to his feet, putting his phone in his back pocket. 

He walked back to the rehearsal room, his brow furrowed in thought. Lorcan tapped the side of his fist against his leg as he went back. 

When he walked back in, Malakai, their manager, glanced at him, “Are you… alright there, son?”

“Yeah,” Lorcan lifted his head. “I just need your help with something.”

<3<3<3

_ salvaterre: i don’t have time to call you before, but you’re going to do amazing and i love you so so so much.  _

_ salvaterre: you’re going to kill it  _

Elide stared down at the message, using it to ground herself. She stole yet another glance at the area before the makeshift stage and her heart hammered a bit harder. Her hands shook, so she breathed in deeply and tried to calm herself. 

Her friends were sitting around the table closest to the stage, all sipping on their drinks and waiting excitedly for her to start. 

The bartender, who was also the owner of the bar, walked up onto the stage and nodded once at Elide for confirmation. She nodded back at Gavriel and he turned to the microphone, “Folks, I want to thank you all for coming out tonight and please give a warm welcome to Elide Lochan!” 

Aelin and Lysandra cheered, while Nesryn simply clapped along with the others, smiling gently. 

Elide shook her head and put her phone in her guitar case before she walked out, sitting on the stool. Gavriel helped her adjust the microphone, “Is that alright?”

She nodded and adjusted her acoustic guitar, “Yes.” 

“Alright, then. Good luck.” Gavriel walked off, leaving her to play. 

“Um,” Elide said into the mic, looking over the crowd, “well, this is my first gig in quite some time and I’m… really happy to be up here, so, I hope you all enjoy it.”

Someone let out a loud ‘whoop’ and she laughed, strumming the strings idly. 

She took a bracing breath and then started to play a song she’d written years ago. It was her safety song, Elide supposed, the one she always played. People always seemed to like it and when she used to play more regularly, it had been a frequent request. 

As Elide played, her mind wandered, thinking about the lyrics she was singing and what they meant. 

Much like her boyfriend, everything she wrote was for him. 

Singing about him, it both saved and ruined her at the same time. 

As the last notes rang out, Elide swallowed, her chest aching. There was a gentle applause throughout the bar and she smiled. “My last song of the night is a brand new tune and I’ve never actually played it in front of anyone else, so please be gentle. It’s called  _ Hourglass _ and, yeah.” Her cheeks heated in embarrassment over her awkwardness and she ducked her head as Aelin cheered, laughing softly, “Thank you, Aelin.” 

She exhaled once more, “Ok…” Elide strummed gently, one cowboy-booted foot up on the spindle of the stool she sat up.  _ “You know, when you’re gone, I struggle at night, dreams of you fucking me all the time…  _

_ “Though I know you’re tied up and I know your phone’s fucked, I’m craving your calls like a soldier’s wife…” _ she sang gently, her eyes shutting,  _ “I wanna bring you home myself, bring you home myse-e-elf.” _

Elide strummed a little louder,  _ “Come back, move in, mess my place… chest infect me, waste my days… ‘cause I know you love to drive me up the wall, I know you love to drive me up the wa-a-all…  _

_ “I wanna bring you home myself, bring you home myse-e-elf…” _

The crowd was watching in silent rapture. 

_ “And I’m so-o-o… impatient when you’re not mine. I just want to ca-a-a-tch up all on the lost time,” _ her voice was sultry like it usually was and she couldn’t help the emotion from bleeding into her words like she normally could,  _ “And I’ll say I’m sorry if I sound sordid ‘cause all I really ever want is you…” _

Elide vocalised sweetly as she played to the last verse, a small smile on her lips,  _ “Offer my hand and I’ll take your name, share my shower, kiss my frame, ‘cause I wanna carry all of your children and I wanna call them,” _ she plucked more gently,  _ “stup-id shit…” _

She relaxed, indicating the end of the song, and she was met with loud applause. Elide smiled widely, her hands shaking. 

She heard a familiar hurray and snapped her eyes to the table her friends were sitting at. Between Aelin and Nesryn, Lorcan sat, wearing a proud grin, his dark eyes glittering. Elide gaped, clapping her hand to her mouth. 

Aelin got up and rushed to her, taking her guitar as Elide stood on shaky legs. “Wha- what- baby?” 

He nodded once and Elide laughed, launching herself at him the moment he stood up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, blinking back tears, “I- I can’t believe you’re  _ here _ .” 

Lorcan banded his arms around her waist and hugged her tight, one of his hands moving to press against her upper back. “I’ve been gone too long,” he said quietly. “And I didn’t want to miss this.” 

Elide slowly pulled away and tilted her head up, tears lining her eyes, “I’m- gods, I don’t even know what to  _ think _ . I’m, I’m so happy.” She laughed warmly, her hands squeezing his shoulders. After a quick look around, Elide nodded her head to the side of the bar, where they could have some privacy. 

Lorcan nodded and went with her, taking their seats at an empty table. Elide sat up as high as she could and stretched over the small, round table, one hand tugging his jaw closer to her. She pressed her lips against his, somewhat melting at the first gentle brush of his tongue over the seam of her mouth. Elide parted her plush lips and gasped when his tongue licked over hers. 

They drew back, never ones to display much affection in public. Lorcan’s hand cupped her face and he stroked his thumb over her cheekbone, “I missed you, sweetheart.” 

“I missed you too,” Elide said, practically beaming. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?”

“Oh, well, why didn’t you tell me you’d written something new? What happened to our deal, hmm?” He hooked his pinky around hers, “We  _ pinky promised _ , Lee, that means something, you know.” 

One of the promises they’d made to each other was to always share their music with one another first. 

Elide rolled her eyes, “Call it even, then?” 

“But of course, sweetheart.” 

She grinned, unable to control her smile, “I still can’t believe you’re actually  _ here _ .” Lorcan’s hand was resting on the table and Elide ran her fingertips over his knuckles and the various tattoos he had. “How… do you feel about it? The song?” 

“It’s beautiful,” he replied softly. “You’re extremely talented, Elide, d’you know that?” She blushed and lifted her eyes to his face. Lorcan softened as he took in her face and murmured, “C’mere,” as he pulled her off her stool and fit her between his thighs. He tipped her head back and kissed her once more. She melted into him, her lashes fluttering against his cheeks as she closed her eyes. “Lee,” Lorcan started, pulling back only enough to rest his forehead against hers.

Elide could see that he was going to say something and she quickly pressed her fingers to his full lips, shaking her head. She didn’t say a word, but he understood what she was telling him. There was nothing to say. Lorcan folded his arms around her and tucked her into his chest, one hand cradling the back of her head. His thumb stroked over her hair. 

She smiled and inhaled the cedar and sage scent that clung to him like always. Idly, Elide toyed with his necklace, which was twin to hers. “So… how long do I get you this time?” 

“A week,” he said, almost reluctant. “But, I was kinda thinking that after you…” Lorcan trailed off, nervous that she would say no. 

Elide lifted her head, her hands resting on his thighs, “After? What do you mean after?”

He inhaled and spoke, his words rushed and indiscernible, “Italkedtotheboysandweallagreeditwouldbekindafunifyoucamewithusandyoucould—“

“Baby, slower, please,” Elide laughed. Lorcan blew out a breath and nodded, anxiously shoving his hair back, then settling both of his hands on her hips. 

“If I asked you to come with me for the rest of the tour, what would you say?” 

She gawked at him, almost taking a step back. “Are- are you serious, Lorcan?”

A nod. 

“You really mean this? I would- I would come with you and do… what?” 

He shrugged, “I dunno. You could sing with us. Feature artist.”

Elide laughed again, holding one of her hands to her mouth, “Of course – I would say yes.” 

Relief flooded through his face and he smiled, “Really? You’d come with me?”

“Lorcan,” Elide said, softly shaking her head. She rose on her tip-toes, her lips brushing over his, “I would go with you to the ends of the earth and beyond.” 

With a rakish grin, Lorcan closed the distance between them. 

_ Always,  _ they promised each other.  _ I will be with you always.  _


End file.
